Welcome To Super Tuesday!

Good morning! I hope you're as caffeinated as I am, because it's going to be a long, long day. I'm Megan Carpentier, your guide and insomniac for the day, and I'll be here until well after the polls close to bring you the latest from the ground and help you understand what's going on throughout the day. You may have read some of my stuff on Wonkette, Jezebel, or on The Cynics' Party. I'll be joined throughout the day by Liz Hanks, who will be checking in via video. See her first post here! And we've got stringers on the ground in almost every Super Tuesday state, so I will be checking in with them to see what young women are thinking across the country. So, what the heck is Super Tuesday, and why is it "super"? Basically, it's the day on the nominating calendar with the most primaries and caucuses. Today, people in 24 states will vote for who they want to see as their party's Presidential candidate, and Republicans and Democrats will each award more than 1,000 delegates to the candidates. Here's some stuff you will be hearing about throughout the day, in de-wonkified plain English! Proportionality vs

Good morning! I hope you're as caffeinated as I am, because it's going to be a long, long day. I'm Megan Carpentier, your guide and insomniac for the day, and I'll be here until well after the polls close to bring you the latest from the ground and help you understand what's going on throughout the day. You may have read some of my stuff on Wonkette, Jezebel, or on The Cynics' Party.

I'll be joined throughout the day by Liz Hanks, who will be checking in via video. See her first post here! And we've got stringers on the ground in almost every Super Tuesday state, so I will be checking in with them to see what young women are thinking across the country.

So, what the heck is Super Tuesday, and why is it "super"? Basically, it's the day on the nominating calendar with the most primaries and caucuses. Today, people in 24 states will vote for who they want to see as their party's Presidential candidate, and Republicans and Democrats will each award more than 1,000 delegates to the candidates.

Here's some stuff you will be hearing about throughout the day, in de-wonkified plain English!

Proportionality vs Winner Take All—"Winner Take All" means that the candidate who gets the most votes in a given state gets all of that state's delegates at the convention, and the second place winner gets nothing, no matter how hard he or she may stamp their foot. Ten of the Republican primaries follow this protocol, which could mean big gains for the winners in those states. "Proportionality" means that the candidates get a percentage of the state's delegates equivalent to the percentage of the votes they received overall. And you thought you'd never use high school algebra again!

Delegates vs. Superdelegates—In primaries and caucuses, you aren't actually voting for your candidate—you are actually voting for a delegate who will vote for you at the convention. Delegates have to vote based on the outcome of the primary or caucus in their state. Superdelegates, who are current and former elected officials, aren't beholden to those considerations. Only Dems have superdelegates. Unfortunately, they don't actually wear capes or anything.

Crossover states, or open primaries—Despite the fact that primaries and caucuses are intended to determine a party's nominee, some states like Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia allow people to vote in either primary regardless of party affiliation. This allows independent voters to participate in the process or, in some cases, spoilers from the other party to potentially tinker with the results.

That's it for now—go vote! And check in soon for for news and alerts about what women are doing on Super Tuesday, without that annoying and infantilizing "Duper" the TV pundits keep throwing in for good measure. I hate that word.

Tell me how your Super Tuesday is going in the comments. Have a tip or a question? Send it to us! And keep checking in throughout the day.